Reflex
by Jaemz Mio
Summary: The first time I jumped was in first grade. I knew exactly what was happening. And I knew I had to stop it—or be killed.


**Disclaimer:** I own nothing; Doug Liman owns Sophie and Steven Gould owns David, and they both own the original story. I just wanted to give Sophie a little more life. She's so mysterious in her 40 seconds of glory.  
><strong>Note:<strong> This is my first journey into the "Supernatural" so I hope I do it justice!  
><strong>Warning: <strong>None

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><p>The first time I jumped was in first grade. I knew exactly what was happening. And I knew I had to stop it—or be killed.<p>

It was the last Friday of school before the warm spring break, everyone was buzzing, especially me. My sixth birthday was the following day, and I was to have a big party with a small pony and a bounce house. The school day seemed to crawl by, and when the last bell rang I was the first one with my backpack on waiting at the door to go home. "Have a good weekend, Children! See you all Monday! Don't forget your homework!" My best friend, Marina, and I took off at a full speed run to the library. Our birthdays were both in the same week, and the library gave free cookies and milk to birthday kids who checked out books.

"Let's take the shortcut way!" Marina suggested as we waited impatiently at a crosswalk.

"Yeah, okay." Turning down the next side street we started to cut through the woods. A rustling noise behind the bushes made us both slow down to look. When two large high school aged boys jumped out of the bushes we both froze.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The fatter and taller of the two boys asked menacingly. He smirked as he bounded his way forward so he stood looking down on us. "Look like to little baby cubs taking the short cut." My mouth suddenly felt very dry. I wasn't sure if I could even scream. My muscles were all stuck in place.

"Hmmmmm, look at this one Curt, she even has a widdle bow in her hair to show how cutesie-wootsie her Mommy thinks she is!" The shorter ganglier one said reaching out and ripping the bow from my head. I let out a scream.

"Marina! Run!" She was standing just behind me and in my peripheral vision I saw her backing up.

"I'm not leaving without you." She stood her ground.

"Marina go…" My voice was shaking and I tried to hold in the cries that were clogging my throat. This is what they did in movies right? One best friend was brave for the other? Our conversation distracted both boys from my hair ribbon and the both stood watching us. Inching impossibly closer. I made my move not a second too late and dashed around the first boy. Marina made a wide loop around them as well and we sprinted down the path. They were both behind us, and I could nearly feel their breath on the back of my neck.

That's when it happened. I was suddenly at the library panting and sweaty, but standing in the middle of the classics section (my personal favorite even at age six). I stumbled backwards and let myself fall to the carpet. I was in shock. I'd never jumped before, and I didn't know how to jump back to my friend. All that was in my mind was finding Marina and I stood up and ran down the back steps of the building needing to find my friend.

I ran in the direction of the shortcut path and caught sight of Marina just as she ran across the back edge of the parking lot. I watched as both big boys stopped their pursuit as if there were an invisible shield that disallowed them from entering the Library parking lot.

"Sophie!" Marina screamed and ran over to me. "Sophie!" She was breathless, "How did you get here so fast?"

"I don't know." I lied, "I don't know. Let's go inside and tell an adult." I hated lying to my friend like that. I knew. I knew exactly what happened. I was a jumper. And even at age five—I knew I was going to die.

Marina and I went to the Librarian and told her what had happened in the woods. She ushered us into the children's activity center and served us cookies and juice while we waited for our moms. "I'll be right back," she said in a kind voice, "I'm going to wait for your moms in the front. Will you be okay?" We nodded and she left, closing the door gently behind us.

"Marina, you can't tell our moms."

"They already know! That's why they're coming, duh." She turned to me confused

"No, I mean, you can't tell them how I disappeared and got here first. Please? Please don't tell. I'll give you anything."

"Why not? It was freaky."

"I know, but please don't tell? Please? I'll give you anything. I'll by you cookies at lunch. Please don't tell! Pinky promise?"

"Okay, okay. Pinky promise." She stuck out her right pinky finger, and I mine. We linked them and kissed our thumbs. Not five minutes later both our mothers were there hugging us and sobbing, five minutes after that two police officers showed up as well. The first identified himself as Officer Cox, he was tall and dark with a booming voice that made your bones shiver. The second was a softer looking woman with short cropped dark hair that called herself as Cassie Kennington. It didn't escape my notice that she didn't call herself 'Officer'. We both replayed what happened to the officers and our mothers, Marina keeping her promise that she wouldn't reveal my secret.

That night at home my mom asked me about the rest of my day, and I told her it was same old same old and gushed about my birthday party the next day, in true five year old fashion.

The next time I made another jump was at the end of the same school year. Luckily this time I wasn't in the company of friends or my parents. It was getting dark in the house, the sun setting and the warm summer air filled the kitchen and warmed the marble tiles. I was rummaging around the fridge looking for something to snack on until my mom came home from work to make dinner. My father was in the garage working on his newest toy; a car from some decade long past with peeling paint and rusty floorboards. I heard the garage door open and the engine rumbling as he drove it out of the garage. An extremely loud bang, which I would later find out was the car backfiring, made me jump up from the fridge. In the same moment I _jumped_ and landed with a thud in my closet.

"Sophie?" My dad called and I heard his footsteps on the staircase. "Sophie! Where are you?" I scrambled to get out of the closet as he opened my bedroom door. "Hey Lil' Bug, where are you?"

"Here, Daddy." I pulled myself out from behind a row of dresses and nice clothes; he knelt down in front of me.

"Are you okay? I came to check on you after the car backfired. That's what that noise was. It must've scared you pretty badly if you're in the closet." He chuckled and squeezed me tightly. I buried my face into his neck, his five-o'clock-shadow scraping and tickling my ears. Hot tears stung my eyes, and I reached up to wipe them away. "Sweetheart, don't cry, everything is fine. It's just a stupid car. Let's go get food, I'm hungry and Mom's taking forever." I nodded and hugged my father close. This could be the last hug I ever received from him if my mother found out what I was.

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think? :) ~JM<strong>


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